1. Field of the Invention
Primarily as a wrapping material around cylindrical or tubular objects such as fishing rods, golf shafts, vaulting poles.
2. Prior art
The rick-rack shape of the present wrapper fabric is shown in U.S. Pat No. 2,728,919 which, otherwise, has nothing suggestive of the present fabric. As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,195,632, a tape formed of bias-woven open-mesh wire fabric covered by rubber latex, is known. U.S. Pat. No. 3,472,289 discloses a heater fabric using both metal and non-metal fibers coated with resin and does not suggest imparting stretchability to wires, wire strands, or wire fabrics in one direction of the fabric.
The present invention provides a fabric tape having important advantages over the above art. When a metallic strand or wire, coated with synthetic resin which is then cured, is bent, the resin coating bends with the strand or wire, causing the latter to become "set" as a result of the strong cohesion between the resin coating and the metal strand or wire.
However, when metal strands are coated with an elastomer, i.e., a synthetic polymer with rubber-like characteristics, and incorporated in a resin laminate and then cured, the cured elastomer is a reinforcement in the direction of the bend of the strands but will not stretch because such a coating will allow some movement between the wire and the other portions of the laminate.
Such elastomer-coated metal strands, in the warp of a laminate, serve to reinforce the same in the direction of the warp. Also, a straight wire, so coated and cured, will allow for some free bend in the direction of the wire.
Examples of commercially produced elastomers above contemplated are butyl rubber, polyurethane rubber, and silicone rubber.